“It’s a wardrobe that has inconveniently fallen across our entryway. I do appreciate your help, as I’m sure my mother will also.”

-----

Back at the rancho, Juan was taking advantage of an empty house to wander around reveling in the fact that he could go anywhere without being reprimanded for it.

“I am in charge of this whole house!” Juan said, smiling as he spread his arms wide. “Now what should I do?”

As he pondered this, Juan began to climb up the wood ladders to the watchtower. He wanted to sit on that swing again while he thought about what Papa’s did. But on his way up, he stumbled over a square object that had been hidden behind a large decorative pot, with orange flowers in it. The pot fell over with a loud THUD, and Juan kicked the square across the landing of Josefina and Francisca’s room. Curious, he went to look at the square object, which seemed to be a worn leather book with some sort of scribbling on the front.

Juan wished now more than anything that he could read!

“I know what this could be!” Juan thought, suddenly, “the diary that Antonio was looking for! And what Papa would do would be to take this thing down to the desk to read it. He always reads things at his desk – maybe it will be easier down there.”

Turning around, he climbed back down the ladder, clutching the book by his side before jumping to the ground and thudding over to the table where Papa did business for the rancho. He clambered onto a big wooden chair and settled in with the book.

Leaning as closely as he could, he frowned, trying to make sense of the little squiggles. He sat still for a few moments before letting out a huff and slumping back in Papa’s chair.

“Dios mio, this is too hard for me. Why did Antonio think this was an interesting thing to do? It is plain boring!”

He shut the leather bound book with a snap.

“It’s much more interesting to play music than to be Papa. I’ll go play more guitar music instead.”

He dropped the journal back onto the desk and clumsily ambled back to the Grand Sala and the abandoned musical instruments.

-----

By this time, Felicity and her two assistants had arrived at the Merriman’s house.

“If you would but come this way, gentlemen?” Felicity said, guiding Tomas and Antonio to the fallen closet.

By this time, leaving all polite protocol for curiousity, all the sewing circle ladies had gathered around the curious scene. Cristal Purr was whispering rather loudly to her friend Suzanne, “Oh my, they’ve called in backup!”

Tomas strode boldly into the room, with his son wandering in behind. Quite conscious of the growing crowd, Mrs. Merriman turned to all the ladies and said calmly, “I’m afraid there has been a small accident and my cloak closet has fallen over in this dreadful storm.”

She gestured to the growing rain storm outside, “It is getting rather cold and wet outside, and so I would suggest that we end this sewing circle a little earlier than usual so that you may return to your homes safely.”

Felicity helped to disperse the crowd by returning cloaks, coats, hats and shawls to their owners.

Soon, all the ladies had departed with their sewing baskets and boxes of buttons and thread, with many a polite goodbye, and a few grumblings on the shortness of the gathering.

-----

Meanwhile, Tomas and Antonio had positioned themselves on either side of the closet.

“Ok, I will lift my side on the count of three – uno, dos, tres – “

The cloak closet moaned wildly and creaked as it slowly rose off the ground. Antonio and Tomas huffed and puffed as they slowly raised the closet back to its correct position by the wall. As it came upright, the trapped doors swung open and out fell Felicity’s two mischievous younger siblings, Nancy and William.

“Phew!” Gasped Nancy, “we thought we were goners. Thanks for saving us from a horrible fate of darkness in an old closet. Well, we’d best be off now-“

She tried to make a dash for it, leaping toward the kitchen door. William ran closely behind her. They were forced to halt, however, by the strict tone of Mrs. Merriman.

“Nancy Andrea Merriman, you will come here this minute. William, you too. I would like a word with both of you in the parlor.”

They both turned around meekly and followed their mother out of the hallway. Felicity turned to apologize to Tomas and Antonio, but they were already edging halfway out the front door.

“Adios!” Tomas said, waving quickly before nudging Antonio out the door before him.

“Good bye and thank you!” Felicity said, before brushing a few unruly strands of hair from her eyes and following the rest of her family to the parlor.

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